Hook arrangement

ABSTRACT

A hook arrangement, for suspending plastic or polyethylene bags that are connected by means of a disposable header, which does not occupy any floor space in the establishments it is to be used in, and which is stable, easy to use, pleasing to the eye, inexpensive to fabricate, and places the plastic bags, that are used in conjunction with it, within easy reach of the consumers requiring the use of such bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates generally to hook arrangements, and more particularly, to such arrangements used for suspending plastic or polyethylene bags of the variety used in retail stores such as grocery stores and supermarkets.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] In recent years, plastic merchandise bags have been replacing paper bags in the retail and grocery products industries due to the superior and inherent moisture resistant properties of plastic. Nowhere is the trend of using plastic bags in the place of paper bags more evident than in the produce sections of grocery stores and supermarkets where customers almost exclusively use plastic bags to hold the various fruits and/or vegetables that are sought to be purchased. In addition to having moisture resistant properties that are superior to paper bags, plastic bags are cheaper and easier to handle, ship and store than paper pages.

[0005] Plastic merchandise bags have traditionally either been the generally flat top rectangular bags or the T-shirt type and are usually provided to and used by the grocery and retail product industries in the form of stacks of a plurality of such bags. When sought to be combined into a pack, the manufacturers of such bag stacks will usually include anywhere from 50 to 200 bags or more into each pack, arranging the bags such that they lay flat on top of each other and connecting a disposable upper portion to the top portion of each bag, which upper portion may include an elongated opening therethrough, one or more apertures, or any combination thereof.

[0006] Heretofore, such bag stacks have either been made available to customers or cashiers by simply locating the stacks in convenient areas around the grocery or retail stores they are to be found in, or suspending such stacks from a variety of support assemblies for consecutive detachment of the bags from each pack.

[0007] When floor standing assemblies are used to hold the bag stacks, the two typical methods of mounting such stacks on such assemblies are either placing the opening in the upper portion of the bag stacks on the portion of the floor stand assembly that extends to support said upper portion. Several bag stacks will typically be hung or supported on the floor standing dispensing assembly at one time.

[0008] Among the problems that have traditionally been encountered with using such plastic bag stack and rack systems are the facts that they often take up space in establishments that could otherwise be used for merchandise. Consequently, it is desirable to have a way to suspend such bag back which does not occupy any additional real estate space, is stable, and pleasing to the eye. It is also desirable to have a less expensive alternative to the floor standing dispensing assemblies that is easy to use and that places the plastic bag stacks within easy reach of the consumers of such stacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The object of this invention is to provide owners of retail stores such as grocery stores and supermarkets with a device that allows for almost effortless suspension of bag stacks and that is also easily mountable on or in existing structures inside a grocery or retail store.

[0010] By virtue of this invention, such object may be accomplished by providing a hook arrangement for the mounting thereon of one or more bag stacks in a generally vertically suspended position, while the hook arrangement itself may be mounted on or disposed about a variety of surfaces in the store they are to be used in, such as on a table, a counter, a shelf, or openings in vegetable and/or fruit misting and/or chilling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Some of the objects and advantages of the invention having been set forth, other objects and advantages will appear from the detail descriptions of the embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a front view of a first embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0013]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the first embodiment of the hook arrangement.

[0014]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired edge.

[0015]FIG. 4 shows a front view of a second embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 5 shows a side view of the second embodiment of the hook arrangement.

[0017]FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the second embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to the holes in a misting and/or chilling apparatus.

[0018]FIG. 7 shows a front view of a third embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0019]FIG. 8 shows a side view of the third embodiment of the hook arrangement.

[0020]FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the third embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to the holes in a misting and/or chilling apparatus.

[0021]FIG. 10 shows a front view of a fourth embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 11 shows a side view of the fourth embodiment of the hook arrangement.

[0023]FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired surface.

[0024]FIG. 13 shows a front view of a fifth embodiment of a hook arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 14 shows a side view of the fifth embodiment of the hook arrangement.

[0026]FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of the hook arrangement showing how a bag stack would be suspended thereon and how the hook arrangement can be attached to a desired edge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027]FIGS. 1 through 3 show the first embodiment of the present invention. Referring first to FIG. 1, a mounting plate 10 is shown with a plurality of holes 29 formed therethrough and which further has two laterally spaced hooks 11 and a single hook 24, all of which are welded or otherwise suitably affixed to mounting plate 10. FIG. 1 further shows the front portion 12 of mounting plate 10 while FIG. 2 best shows the back portion 13 of said mounting plate. Hook 24, which is best shown in FIG. 3, is located between hooks 11. Although hooks 11 are similar in size and configuration and are preferably made out of metal, as are both the mounting plate 10 and hook 24, hooks 11 do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration and any or all of mounting plate 10, hooks 11 and hook 24 can be made of materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer. Hooks 11 and 24 that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous rod type member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. Addressing hooks 11 first, each of said hooks has a first end 14 and a second end 15, a first bend 16 of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend 17 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a third bend 18 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a fourth bend 19 of approximately 180 degrees as shown. The portion of hook 11 with bends 16, 17, and 18 protrudes from the front portion 12 of mounting plate 10 and has a U-shape configuration when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 2, while the extension of hook 11 with bend 19 and which terminates at end 15 protrudes from the back portion 13, in an inverted U-shape configuration when viewed from the side as further shown in FIG. 2.

[0028]FIG. 3 best illustrates the general configuration of hook 24 whereby hook 24 has a first end 25, a second end 26, and a bend 27 of about 180 degrees as shown. The portions of hooks 11 and 24 with their respective bends 19 and 27 are designed such that the hook arrangement may be mounted onto or otherwise attached to the edge 23 of any enclosure 22 that is usually found in grocery stores and supermarkets around produce such as apples, oranges, or the like. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the portions of hooks 11 with bends 16, 17, and 18 are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures 20 which are shown in FIG. 3 to be formed in the upper portion 21 of the bag stacks. Also shown in FIG. 3 are the plastic bags 28 that are suspended from the upper portion 21 of those bags. Desirably, each of the four bends in hooks 11 and the single bend in hook 24 described above result in distinct U-Shaped configurations whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, however, since none of the bends necessarily have to be 180 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the first embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.

[0029] The second and third embodiments of the present invention, which are shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 and FIGS. 7 through 9 respectively are similar in that the hook arrangements of each of those embodiments are intended to be mounted on or in apertures, holes, or crevices in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. The second embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 is similar in configuration to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 described above in that mounting plate 30 also has a plurality of holes 45 formed therethrough and at least two laterally spaced hooks 33, each formed from a single rod member, that are welded or otherwise affixed to mounting plate 30, which plate has a front portion 31 and a back portion 32. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the extension of each of said hooks 33 that curves around the front portion 31 of the mounting plate 30 to protrude from the back portion 32 of the mounting plate 30 is much longer than that described in the first embodiment and does not have the same inverted U-shape configuration when viewed from the side, as in FIG. 5.

[0030]FIG. 6 best illustrates the general configuration of hook 33 whereby hook 33 has a first end 34 and a second end 35, a first bend 36 of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend 37 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a third bend 38 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, a fourth bend 39 of approximately 100 degrees as shown, and a fifth bend 40 of approximately 100 degrees as shown. For rigidity purposes, a single rod member 41 may be welded or otherwise affixed to hooks 33, thereby acting as a support or a brace. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the portions of hooks 33 with bends 36, 37, and 38 are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures 42 which are shown in FIG. 6 to be formed in the upper portion 43 of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the portions of hooks 33 with bends 40 are designed such that the second ends 35 of hooks 33 are insertable into the plurality of holes 46 that are formed in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. Also shown in FIG. 6 are the plastic bags 44 that are customarily attached to the upper portion 43 of said bag stacks. Desirably, each of the bends 36, 37, and 38 described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends 39 and 40 described above results in a approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends 39 and 40 is of the order of approximately 100 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends 36, 37, or 38 necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends 39 and 40 necessarily have to be 100 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend.

[0031] The third embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 7 through 9 is similar in configuration to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 and described above in that mounting plate 50 also has a plurality of holes 77 formed therethrough and at least two laterally spaced hooks 53, each formed from a single rod member, that are welded or otherwise affixed to a mounting plate 50, which has a front portion 51 and a back portion 52. The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that said hooks 53 do not have a portion that extends or otherwise depends from the rear portion 52 of the mounting plate. Instead, a single discrete rod member 54 is welded or otherwise affixed, at a portion close to its first end 55, to the back portion 52 of mounting plate 50. Rod member 54 is welded or otherwise affixed, at a portion close to its second end 56 to the back portion 59 of a second mounting plate 57, having a front portion 58, a back portion 59, and a plurality of holes 76 formed therethrough. Further welded or otherwise affixed to back portion 59 of mounting plate 57 is another discrete rod member 60, having a first end 61, a second end 62, a first bend 63 of approximately 100 degrees as shown and a second bend 64 of approximately 100 degrees as shown. Member 60 is welded or otherwise affixed to the back portion 59 of mounting plate 57 at a portion of member 60 near its first end 61.

[0032]FIG. 9 best illustrates the general configuration of hook 53 whereby hook 53 has a first end 66, a second end 67, a first bend 68 of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend 69 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a third bend 70 of approximately 180 degrees as shown. For rigidity purposes, a single rod member 71 may be welded or otherwise affixed to hooks 53, thereby acting as a support or a brace. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 through 9, the portions of hooks 53 with bends 68, 69, and 70 are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures 72 which are shown in FIG. 9 to be formed in the upper portion 73 of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the portions of member 60 with bends 64 are designed such that the second ends 62 of members 60 are insertable into the plurality of holes 74 that are formed in the misting and/or chilling apparatus generally found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets. Also shown in FIG. 9 are the plastic bags 75 that are customarily suspended from the upper portion 73. Desirably, each of the bends 68, 69, and 70 described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends 63 and 64 described above results in a approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends 63 and 64 are of the order of approximately 100 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends 68, 69, or 70 necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends 63 or 64 necessarily have to be 100 degrees, it is envisioned that the both hooks 53 and members 60 could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend.

[0033] Desirably, in the second and third embodiments described above, hooks 33 and 53 should be U-shaped, made from metal, and welded onto the front portions 31 and 51 of their respective mounting plates. However, hooks 33 and 53 could take on different forms and/or configurations, such as a V-shape, may be made from a material other than metal, such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer, and may be attached and/or affixed to either the front or back portions of their respective mounting plates 30 and 50 by methods other than welding such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Similarly, whereas the remaining portions of the hook arrangements described in each of the second and third embodiments are preferably made from metal and are welded in the portions where the various members attach to each other, the materials used could be any suitable material, such as plastics, alloys, or polymers, and they may be attached by to each other by methods other than welding, such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the second and third embodiments could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.

[0034] In the fourth embodiment of the present invention that is shown in FIGS. 10 through 12, the hook arrangement consists of a base member 80, with a top face 81, a bottom face 82, and a plurality of mounting holes 83 formed through member 80 as shown, a vertical member 84 with a first end 85 and a second end 86, and a hook member 87, formed from a single discrete rod, with a first end 88 and a second end 89. Vertical member 84 is welded or otherwise affixed perpendicularly at its first end 85 to the top face 81 of base member 80 at a location near the center of base member 80 as shown. Hook member 87 is welded or otherwise affixed perpendicularly, at a point on the horizontal portion of hook member 87 near the center of hook member 87 to a location on vertical member 84 near the second end 86 of vertical member 84.

[0035]FIG. 12 best illustrates the general configuration of hook 87 whereby hook 87 has a first end 88 and a second end 89, a first bend 90 of about 150 degrees as shown, a second bend 91 of approximately 90 degrees as shown, a third bend 92 of approximately 90 degrees as shown, and a fourth bend 93 of approximately 150 degrees as shown. When affixed to vertical member 84, the portions of hook 87 between bends 90 and 91 on one side of vertical member 84 and between bends 92 and 93 on the other side of vertical member 84 depend away from vertical member 84 and at an incline, forming two mostly parallel segments as shown. Hook member 87 is designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures 94 which are shown in FIG. 12 to be formed in the upper portion 95 of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the base member 80 is designed to either be attached to or placed upon the surface of a counter or any table-like structure 96 that holds, supports or otherwise displays the merchandise to be sold. Also shown in FIG. 12 are the plastic bags 97 that are customarily suspended from the upper portion 95. Desirably, each of bends 90 and 93 described above results in a V-Shaped configurations whereby each bend is approximately 150 degrees, however, since neither of said bends necessarily has to be 150 degrees, it is envisioned that the hooks could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each bend. Furthermore, whereas it is desirable that base member 80, vertical member 84 and hook member 87 of this embodiment be made from metal and that the various members be welded to each other in the locations described in this embodiment, it is envisioned that any or all of said members may be made from materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer, and any or all of said members may be attached to each other in the locations described in this embodiment by means other than welding, such as glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the fourth embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.

[0036]FIGS. 13 through 15 show the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Referring first to FIG. 13, a mounting plate 100 is shown with a plurality of holes 101 formed therethrough and which further has two laterally spaced hooks 102 and two laterally spaced rectangular sections 105, forming two independent bracket configurations, all of which are welded or otherwise affixed to mounting plate 100. FIG. 13 further shows the front portion 103 of mounting plate 100 while FIG. 14 best shows the back portion 104 of said mounting plate. Although both hooks 102 are similar in size and configuration, and although brackets 105 are also similar in size and configuration, and both hooks 102 and brackets 105 are preferably made out of metal, as is the mounting plate 100, hooks 102 do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration, brackets 105 do not have to be absolutely identical in size and configuration, and any or all of mounting plate 100, hooks 102 and brackets 105 can be made of materials other than metal, such as a plastic, an alloy, or a polymer. Hooks 102 that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous rod type member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 through 15. Brackets 105 that are utilized in conjunction with the present invention are formed, through bending, molding, or other method of shaping, from a single and continuous flat rectangular member into the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 through 15.

[0037] As shown in both FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, brackets 105 have a first end 106 and a second end 107, a first bend 118 of approximately 90 degrees as shown, a second bend 119 of 90 degrees as shown, and each of brackets 105 also has a single hole 108 formed in the portion of each bracket 105 toward each of ends 106 and 107 as shown in FIG. 15.

[0038]FIG. 15 best illustrates the general configuration of hooks 102 whereby each of hooks 102 has a first end 109, a second end 110, a first bend 111 of about 180 degrees as shown, a second bend 112 of approximately 180 degrees as shown, and a third bend 113 of approximately 180 degrees as shown. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 through 15, the portions of hooks 102 with bends 111, 112, and 113 are designed to fit through the bag stack mounting apertures 114 which are shown in FIG. 15 to be formed in the upper portion 115 of the bag stacks that are intended to be used with the present invention, while the brackets 105 that are shown in FIGS. 13 through 15 are designed to fit over any given shelf or edge 116 and may be secured thereto by inserting a screw or other fastening device into one or more of holes 108. Although FIG. 15 shows brackets 105 being disposed about a horizontal edge, said brackets 105 could just as easily be disposed about a vertical edge and the invention could be used in the same manner described herein. Also shown in FIG. 15 are the plastic bags 117 that are customarily suspended from the upper portion 115. Desirably, each of the bends 111, 112, and 113 described above results in a distinct U-Shaped configuration whereby each bend is approximately 180 degrees, while each of the bends 118 and 119 described above results in approximately an L-Shaped configuration whereby each of bends 118 and 119 are of the order of approximately 90 degrees as shown. However, since none of the bends 111, 112, or 113 necessarily have to be 180 degrees, and none of the bends 118 or 119 necessarily have to be 90 degrees, it is envisioned that both hooks 102 and brackets 105 could take on different shapes depending on the angle of each of the aforementioned bends. Desirably, in the fifth embodiment described above, hooks 102 and brackets 105 are made from metal and welded onto the front portion 103 of mounting plate 100. However, hooks 102 and brackets 105 may be made from a material other than metal, such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer, and may be attached and/or affixed to either the front or back portions of mounting plate 100 by methods other than welding such as by glueing, or using screws and/or nuts and bolts. Alternatively, the entire hook arrangement described in the fifth embodiment could be formed or molded as a single piece from a material such as plastic, an alloy or a polymer.

[0039] It is understood that the present disclosure of the above embodiments has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hook arrangement for suspending plastic bags comprising: (a) a mounting plate with a front portion and a back portion; and (b) first and second laterally spaced, and generally parallel rod members that are affixed to said mounting plate, wherein a section of each of said rod members protrudes from the front portion of said plate to form a U-shaped hook, while the remainder of each of said rod members protrudes from the back portion of said mounting plate to form an inverted U-shaped hook.
 2. The hook arrangement of claim 1, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said mounting plate.
 3. The hook arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a third U-shaped rod member, which is affixed to said mounting plate between the first and second rod members, the third rod member forming an inverted U-shaped hook that protrudes from the back portion of said mounting plate.
 4. The hook arrangement of claim 3, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said mounting plate.
 5. A hook arrangement for suspending plastic bags comprising: (a) a mounting plate with a front portion and a back portion; and (b) first and second laterally spaced and generally parallel rod members that are affixed to said mounting plate, wherein a section of each of said members protrudes from the front portion of said plate to form a U-shaped hook while the remainder of each of said members protrudes from the back portion of said plate to from inverted L-shaped legs.
 6. The hook arrangement of claim 5, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said mounting plate.
 7. The hook arrangement of claim 5, wherein a rod member is attached perpendicularly, at each end, to each of said inverted L-shaped legs.
 8. A hook arrangement for suspending plastic bags comprising: (a) a first mounting plate with a front portion and a back portion; (b) a second mounting plate with a front portion and a back portion; (c) first and second laterally spaced and generally parallel U-shaped hooks that are affixed to said first mounting plate; (d) first and second laterally spaced and generally parallel straight rod members that are each affixed at one end to said first mounting plate and on the other end to said second mounting plate; and (e) third and fourth laterally spaced and generally parallel rod members that protrude from the back portion of said second plate to from inverted L-shaped legs.
 9. The hook arrangement of claim 8, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said first mounting plate.
 10. The hook arrangement of claim 8, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said second mounting plate.
 11. The hook arrangement of claim 8, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in each of said first and second mounting plates.
 12. The hook arrangement of claim 8, wherein a rod member is attached perpendicularly, at each end, to each of said inverted L-shaped legs.
 13. A hook arrangement for suspending plastic bags comprising: (a) a generally flat base member; (b) a vertical member that is attached perpendicularly at one end to the center of said base member; and (c) a rod member having a horizontal portion which is attached perpendicularly near its center to a point on the vertical member near the free end of said vertical member, said rod member having a first and second leg, each depending perpendicularly and upwardly from said horizontal portion, with each end of said legs culminating in a V-shaped hook that depends upwardly from each of said legs.
 14. The hook arrangement of claim 13, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said base member.
 15. A hook arrangement for suspending plastic bags comprising: (a) a mounting plate with a front portion and a back portion; (b) first and second laterally spaced and generally parallel rod members that are affixed to said mounting plate, and a section of each of said members protrudes from the front portion of said plate to form a U-shaped hook; and (c) first and second laterally spaced and generally parallel rectangular members that are affixed to said mounting plate, each of said rectangular members having two depending portions that protrude from the back portion of said mounting plate to form a bracket configuration.
 16. The hook arrangement of claim 15, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said mounting plate.
 17. The hook arrangement of claim 15, wherein a plurality of holes are formed in said rectangular members. 